Nepal- A pilgrim's passage to trans-Himalaya
Kathmandu- June, 2009
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| Pashupatinath shrine |
I had set out on a pilgrim
expedition to Nepal with a group of writers at the call of Nepal
Tourism Board in 2009. Perhaps it was the fascination with the divine
that I headed to Kathmandu. I stayed at Hotel Yak and Yeti in the
city. Pashupatinath shrine on the banks of river Bagmati is a World
Heritage site and is undoubtedly the most significant religious
landmark of Kathmandu.
Resting on Slesh Mantak Hill, the shrine is in
the form of a pagoda that rises high with its two-tierred gold-plated
roofs. The shrine has profusely carved four gold and silver plated
doors at its entrance. Paying obeisance to the self-styled Lingam
with four faces pointing at four directions was the highpoint of our
trip. It was here that we sighted sadhus smeared with sandal paste,
vermillion and ashes.
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| Boudanath Temple |
Another must-see destination is
Boudanath, the biggest stupa in Nepal and one of the largest in South
Asia. A world heritage monument, the colossal stupa belongs to 5th
century AD and has praying wheels embossed with mantras. The stupa
flaunts fascinating architecture with a plethora of icons of Buddha,
Bodhisattvas and female deities and we came across many ancient
gompas and Tibetan Lamas.
Bhaktapur
Around 12 km from Kathmandu is
Bhaktapur or the “City of Devotees” that dates back to 12th
century and a visit to the city took us back to the age-old world.
The city has been the brainchild of King Anand Dev Malla and is an
art gallery replete with monuments, palaces, exotic pagoda-shaped
temples and monasteries and its bylanes are inhabited by Newari
tribes.
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| Vatsala Temple, Bhaktapur |
The Bhaktapur Durbar Square is a World Heritage site and one
can explore the architectural wonders of 17th century Vatsala temple,
Chyasalin Mandap and the Lion Gate.
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| Palace of 55 Windows, Bhaktapur |
We explored the Palace of 55
Windows that is the prime attraction of Bhaktapur. It is a medieval
palace flaunting architectural wonders with innumerable ornamented
windows and was set up by King Yaksha Malla.
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| Nyatapole Temple, Bhaktapur |
We explored the Taumadhi Square that has 17th century, five-storied Nyatapole temple in the shape of a pagoda rising to a height of 35 metres that is devoted to the tantric deity of Siddha Lakshmi.
Changu Narayan
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| Changu Narayan, Bhaktapur |
For those bitten by travel bug and
if heritage tourism is your forte, Changu Narayan in Bhaktapur
district of Nepal, the earliest pilgrim destination in Kathmandu
valley is the place to be. It was our stroke of luck that we had to
scrap off our trip to the historical town of Patan owing to Maoist
agitation and made our last-minute visit to Changu Narayan. Lying
about 6 km from Bhaktapur and around 18 km from Kathmandu, Changu
Narayan lies at a height of about 1,541 metres above sea level and
traces back to 3rd century AD. The monument is a religious and
historical landmark and serves as the best example of Nepalese
architecture. The word “Changu” is derived from Newari and
connotes Champa flowers and was a metropolitan city in medieval
times.
The shrine complex is a
store-house of prominent sculptures and we first sighted Garuda, the
flight vehicle of Lord Vishnu and the famed historical stone pillar
with inscriptions in pro-Licchivi script. The shrine of Chinnamasta
is the most interesting monument at the south-east of Changu Narayan
complex and is the oldest structure. The shrine of Changu Narayan in
the form of pagoda soaring 45 metres high is dedicated to Lord
Vishnu. It came up sometime in 17th century and attracts both Hindu
and Buddhist pilgrims. We gaped at the huge gold-plated doors with
highly carved Hindu pantheons at the entrance of the shrine. We
dropped into the nearby Changu Museum housed in a private residence
that has preserved an impressive collection of relics from bygone era
including musical instruments, weapons, earthen wares, metal works
and coins belonging to royal dynasties of Nepal right from king
Tribhuvan to Mahendra and Birendra to Gyanendra.
Pokhra
The “City of Lakes” is the
second largest tourist getaway in Nepal and is dominated by the
snow-capped, fish-tailed mountain- Machhapucchre soaring at a height
of 6,977 metres. The city is the base camp for trekking expeditions
to Jomsom region and Annapurna. Viewing Machhapucchre and Annapurna
range comprising Annapurna I to IV offered a feeling of divine bliss.
We had halted at Pokhra Grande. We travelled to Vindhyabasini temple
in the shape of white dome and the ancient, dark, limestone cave of
Gupteshwar Mahadev believed to be one of the largest caves in South
Asia that was well worth our effort. I recall the arduous trek
stretching 40-metre downward that one has to undertake to reach the
cow shade and the much-revered shrine honouring Lingam. We had to
negotiate through shallow, steep steps leading 500 feet below to a
stunning Devi’s Fall, locally known as Patale Chhango.
For those interested to know about
lesser-known facts relating to the Himalayas, the ethnic Himalayan
tribes and the whereabouts of Yeti- the abominable snowman, step in
to International Mountain Museum that was established in 2004. At the
museum, we visited the various galleries including Mountain People
gallery, Mountain gallery, Mountain activities and Periodic gallery.
Cruising the Phewa Lake, the
largest in Pokhra is a magical experience. The lake harbours 22
species of fishes and we had a glimpse of the two-storied island
shrine, Barahi temple.
Muktinath
We were all set to travel to
trans-Himalayan region of Nepal and took an 18-seater Yeti Airlines
flight from Pokhra and flew down to remote Jomsom in the Mustang
valley. It was an exciting flight journey with views of Begnas Lake
and up-close views of majestic Himalayan peaks like Machhapucchre and
Annapurna. Once we alighted at Jomsom, the cold weather was piercing
our skin and we quickly tucked ourselves with warm woollens. At
Jomsom, we stayed at Hotel Alka Marco Polo, the only decent
accommodation option.
The Himalayan town of Jomsom at a
height of 2,720 metres from the ground is a part of Annapurna
Conservation Area Project and is the starting point for high-altitude
trek to Upper Mustang Valley. We could get close views of lofty
Himalayan peaks from our hotel like Tilicho and Nilgiri. We checked
into the Tourist Information Centre to receive the valid entry permit
for our high-altitude trek to Muktinath. Once we started off, we
came near the banks of river Kali Gandaki, the deepest gorge in the
world. In the meantime, we could get grand views of Dhaulagiri range
that appeared every now and then.
We reached the Army School of
Mountain Warfare at Jomsom and hired a jeep to reach Muktinath. It
was one-a-half hour bone-jarring journey through rocky trekking trail
where we had unforgettable glimpses of black waters of Kali Gandaki
winding its way through the terrain dotted with tiny Tibetan hamlets
like Kagbeni, Khinga and Jharkot that are populated by indigenous
Himalayan tribes like Thakalis and Gurungs of Tibetan origin. There
are numerous Buddhist flags dominating the hamlets. One gets to view
the changing landscape from Jomsom onwards and the biodiversity gets
richer. For the first time, we passed through barren Himalayan
landscape comprising the Plateau of Tibet and canyons that are
similar to Ladakh. We braved the gutsy winds in our trekking route
and came near the Muktinath check post and began our half-an-hour
uphill trek to reach the shrine.
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| Muktinath Shrine |
The cold weather was biting us
and we managed to reach the ancient, holy shrine where time stands
still. Resting at 3,800 metres height, Muktinath shrine is in the
shape of pagoda and is revered to Lord Vishnu flanked by Goddess
Saraswati and Lakshmi on either side. We sprinkled ice-cold water
from Vishnu Kund and entered the shrine adorned with copper and
silver works and watched the puja performed at an unhurried pace.
There are 108 spots for devouts to take bath in the shrine complex.
At a distance of 100 metres from Muktinath is the shrine of Jwala
Devi where the divine flame goes on burning for ages. Once back from
the shrine, our hunger pangs had started beating and we sat down for
a filling Tibetan lunch at Bob Marley restaurant in Muktinath. We
could get an authentic experience of Tibetan culture in Mustang
valley.
